Anger Management Manual - the ATTC Network

Anger Management for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Clients
and progressive muscle relaxation. Further explain that experience shows that group members
are more likely to use these simple forms of relaxation.
Check-In Procedure
Ask group members to report the highest level of anger they reached on the anger meter
during the past week. Make sure they reserve the number 10 for situations where they lost
control of their anger and experienced negative consequences. Ask them to describe the
anger-provoking event that led to their highest level of anger. Help them identify the cues that
occurred in response to the anger-provoking event, and help them classify these cues into the
four cue categories.
Exhibit 3. Event, Cues, and Strategies Identified
During the Check-In Procedure
Event Cues Strategies
Suggested Remarks
(Use the following script or put this in your own words.)
Anger Control Plans
Up to this point, you have been focusing on how to monitor your anger. In the first session, you
learned how to use the anger meter to rate your anger. Last week, you learned how to identify
the events that trigger anger, as well as the physical, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive cues
associated with each event. Today, you will begin to discuss how to develop an anger control
plan and how you can use specific strategies, such as timeouts and relaxation, to control your
anger. In later sessions, you will cover other strategies, such as learning to change negative or
hostile self-talk and using the Conflict Resolution Model (see page 39). These more advanced
strategies can be used along with timeouts and relaxation.
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